A FULL SERVICE BRIDAL SALON

The Schomaker Wedding

Couple: Mark and Laura Schomaker

Wedding Date: October 10, 2015

Location: Childress Vineyards, Lexington, NC

The Wedding Dress: Allure Bridal, style 9004

Photography: J. Darren Photography

More Details: We had a couple vendors that really went above and beyond the call of duty to make our day special. One of those was the team at New York Bride & Groom. Absolutely everyone I dealt with at the salon was fabulous.

Being a bride in a wheelchair who is also only 4-feet-10, I felt more than a little anxious about finding my dream wedding gown. I wondered if the consultants would be uncomfortable working with someone with a disability. Also, would I be able to find a dress that I’m able to sit in and that also makes me feel beautiful?

When it was time to find a bridal salon to work with I did a lot of online research, particularly to find some that had a stellar reputation for alterations. NYB&G was on the shortlist from the very beginning. But, I made my final decision to start my shopping journey there when I discovered that they carried a dress I had fallen in love with in a magazine.

I had looked at a lot of bridal magazines, watched countless episodes of “Say Yes to the Dress” and browsed dresses online. When it came time to actually visit the salon, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted (lace with some sparkle). For me, what I was less sure about was which silhouette would look good on my petite frame and also be possible for me to sit in all day long. So, I tried a variety of styles. With my consultant’s help, my family and I found five or six good candidates for me to try.

The dress I purchased was the second-to-last one that I put on. As soon as my family and the consultant saw me in the dress they started tearing up. I quickly followed suit when I saw myself. But even more telling was the fact that, at that moment, I could clearly picture myself going down the aisle in that dress. What they say is true, like with finding the right man, when you find the right dress you know it.

We knew the dress would need a lot of alterations. The staff at New York Bride assured me that they could handle whatever I needed. And, boy did they deliver! Throughout my five fittings they basically took the dress apart and put it together again. They shortened the boning so that it would be more comfortable to sit in, removed 12 inches from the skirt without losing the beautiful detail at the bottom, bustled the sides of the skirt so that I could move freely without worrying that I might run over the delicate lace, and more. But, they didn’t stop there. They also designed and custom-made a train for me to disguise the back of my chair.

During the reception, guests kept coming up to me saying how much they loved my dress and train, adding that the dress looked like it was made just for me. I couldn’t have imagined feeling more beautiful on my special day. And I couldn’t be more grateful to the team at New York Bride and Groom for all their hard work.